Smotrich opposes Gaza City plan

Bezalel Smotrich argues the latest plan to seize Gaza City is insufficient and tied to broader aims that could reshuffle disengagement policies.

Smotrich says Gaza City plan falls short and risks deeper clash

Israel’s cabinet approved a plan to take Gaza City, but Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly denounced it, saying the move is not an operation to conquer the Strip and would not deliver a decisive victory. A spokesperson described Smotrich as opposing the plan during the overnight session and warned that its purpose is to pressure Hamas back to the negotiating table rather than to secure lasting gains. The minister, who also holds a role in the Defense Ministry, labeled the plan immoral and not Zionist, and suggested it falls into the category of “the same” approach rather than a new path toward victory.

Smotrich’s stance goes beyond this week’s cabinet debate. In interviews and party communications, he linked the Gaza operation to a broader political project that includes reestablishing evacuated settlements in the northern West Bank, such as Ganim and Kadim, and he tied all of this to a longer effort to erase the Palestinian state. He said the West Bank push is intended to prevent a Gaza-like fate for central Israel, aligning with the 20th anniversary of the Disengagement. Israel Hayom and Kan public broadcaster cited his position as he urged Netanyahu to declare that no partial deal will suffice, warning that without such a firm line the plan could merely recreate a bargaining frame instead of delivering victory.

The episode highlights a cleft inside Netanyahu’s coalition between hardline and more restrained hawkish currents. Smotrich’s rhetoric reframes military moves as political statements, turning battlefield questions into long-term territorial and demographic goals. If the plan is used as a tool to force concessions rather than a path to decisive outcomes, it risks deepening regional tensions and complicating international reactions to Israel’s war aims. The clash also signals how domestic politics can shape strategic choices in a war where every step is scrutinized for its political as well as military impact.

Looking ahead, the risk is that such divisions erode coherent strategy. Officials will need to balance the desire to project strength with the imperative to avoid new fronts or unexpected escalations. For families waiting for hostages and for observers abroad, the episode underscores a tricky truth: the line between victory and withdrawal is often a matter of political will as much as battlefield reality.

Highlights

The coming weeks will reveal how far this faction will push its coalition partners.